Genesis 37:34

Authorized King James Version

And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

Word-by-Word Analysis
#1
וַיִּקְרַ֤ע
rent
to rend, literally or figuratively (revile, paint the eyes, as if enlarging them)
#2
יַֽעֲקֹב֙
And Jacob
jaakob, the israelitish patriarch
#3
שִׂמְלֹתָ֔יו
his clothes
a dress, especially a mantle
#4
וַיָּ֥שֶׂם
and put
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
#5
שַׂ֖ק
sackcloth
properly, a mesh (as allowing a liquid to run through), i.e., coarse loose cloth or sacking (used in mourning and for bagging); hence, a bag (for grai
#6
בְּמָתְנָ֑יו
upon his loins
properly, the waist or small of the back; only in plural the loins
#7
וַיִּתְאַבֵּ֥ל
H56
and mourned
to bewail
#8
עַל
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
#9
בְּנ֖וֹ
for his son
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or
#10
יָמִ֥ים
days
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
#11
רַבִּֽים׃
many
abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)

Analysis

The creation and providence theme here intersects with the broader canonical witness to God's character and purposes. Biblical theology recognizes this as part of progressive revelation that finds its culmination in Christ. The phrase emphasizing divine revelation contributes to our systematic understanding of Christian doctrine and connects to the broader scriptural witness about God's consistent character and purposes.

Historical Context

The literary and historical milieu of ancient Near Eastern narrative literature addressing origins and identity shapes this text's meaning. The development from creation to divine election established God's sovereign care over history Understanding a worldview where divine beings actively governed natural and historical processes helps modern readers appreciate why the author emphasizes divine revelation in this particular way.

Questions for Reflection

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